Write a commentInspired by the quickly approaching all-electric school bus purchase mandate scheduled to begin in 2027, members of the Assembly Republican Conference and their colleagues in the Senate, partnered with school administrators and transportation experts to share serious concerns about the unrealistic and costly requirement for school districts.
This is a component of the controversial Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). In order to comply with the mandate, school districts would pay nearly three times as much for electric school bus replacements with additional costs related to new infrastructure needs as well.
"We have been sounding the alarms on the costly and unrealistic mandates associated with the CLCPA from the moment they were implemented. Forcing school districts to replace diesel with electric school buses will amount to billions of taxpayer dollars and that's even if you consider this plan plausible. We've heard from numerous transportation officials, energy stakeholders and school officials about the impossibility of meeting this mandate. Common sense says to pump the brakes and that's what New York needs to do," said Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski).
In response to the zero-emission school bus mandate, Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) has introduced legislation (A.8447) to delay the onerous mandate on school districts until 2045 or until all state agencies convert their fleets. Additionally, the legislation would:
- Direct the Commissioner of Education to complete a cost-benefit analysis for each school district that considers the costs necessary to comply with the zero-emission school bus mandate and provide an extension to such schools if necessary;
- Repeal the requirement that all school bus fleets in operation must be zero-emission by July 1, 2035; and
- Authorize the Commissioner of Education in consultation with the New York Independent System Operator, utilities, and the Department of Public Service, to override the mandate if it is determined that zero-emission school buses are not feasible for a particular application.
Assemblyman Palmesano said, "The consequences seem to get worse by the day while the Albany Democrats keep rushing to implement unreasonable and unworkable energy mandates on all of New York state's citizens, businesses, communities, manufacturers, farmers, schools and others. This is especially true for local school districts, local economies and local property taxpayers if Gov. Hochul keeps pushing to meet the current timeline to transition to all-electric school bus fleets. School districts are facing one of the most expensive mandates they have ever faced. This state is forcing school districts to move, at breakneck speed, to implement a misguided, politically driven climate policy that the state itself has no idea if it is affordable, feasible or reliable. If we do not revise this timeline and significantly delay the implementation of the current mandate until we have more information, the benefit of experience and more efficient and less expensive technology, we are putting our schools, students and their families at serious risk and we are breaking the backs of local property taxpayers across this state at the worst possible time. We need to put a stop to this madness and reassess and reexamine this policy with common sense, expertise and a full cost-benefit, feasibility and safety analysis."
Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) said, "As schools face existing challenges, mandating the purchase of expensive EV buses only exacerbates the financial strain. The EV bus goal is unrealistic and impractical for most school districts across the state. We must heed warnings from schools of their inability to meet this requirement. I support legislation that would push this mandate until 2045 or until all state agencies convert their fleets. While the transition to EV may happen eventually, our schools should not be the test case for such a costly objective, and decisions of this magnitude must be made with the best interests of our students in mind."
Assemblyman Doug Smith (R,C-Holbrook) said, "The Albany Democrats continue pushing unrealistic mandates that will cost schools thousands of dollars while simultaneously threatening school aid packages. In my discussions with school administrators and education professionals, they consistently express justifiable concerns about costly, unreasonable mandates handed down by Albany. Instead of allowing schools the opportunity to transition at their own pace into this 'eco-friendly' world, it is being forced upon them and damaging schools in the process. As a parent and former educator, I will not stand by and watch this administration target our youth."
"Superintendents across the state are not against electric busing, a well-intentioned initiative. However, this initiative is one of the biggest unfunded mandates for schools passed on by the governor and PSC. Districts across the state need an immediate pause of this initiative because of the projected costs and timeline as well as the failure of this technology to meet the demands of school districts' daily transportation and athletic/extracurricular needs. In Horseheads, we have more than 80 daily bus runs in both the a.m. and p.m. hours. From our initial review, a dozen of those runs simply cannot be executed with electronic busing. This number increases substantially as the weather turns colder. In addition, school districts will have to construct their own power substations within transportation centers to handle the new electrical demands of EV busing. Buses will also cost at least four times as much as our current buses and may also need batteries replaced prior to the vehicles end of service life at a cost of $150,000 plus per vehicle. In Horseheads, this will likely amount to asking our residents to approve annual bus propositions of more than $4.5 million per year, when currently these propositions are roughly $1.7 million for the same number of buses, and that is without the addition battery costs. This substantial increase also does not include the construction of the power substation, the high-end chargers needed to run these buses daily and for emergencies, as well as all the additional supporting construction technology needed to utilize EV buses. The total cost will ultimately be borne by the local tax base since this is really an unfunded mandate. The sad fact is that there is no guarantee that this technology will work predictably in Northeastern winters. All the governor and PSC need do is look to the Midwest this past winter to see electric vehicles and chargers not being able to run in frigid temperatures. We cannot risk that with our children. Put simply, the state must pump the brakes on electric busing," said Dr. Thomas J. Douglas, Superintendent, Horseheads Central School District.
"As a retired school bus mechanic with thirty years of service, every day I wake up proud of the work I do for my community. Getting students and staff from point A to point B safely, is my number one priority. Before the CLCPA mandated the electric school bus requirements, they should have come to people like me who have decades of real experience in this field for input. The impacts of these regulations could be catastrophic. We should not be putting the safety of our children and bus drivers at risk just to meet unrealistic and costly climate goals," said Robert Killeen, Retired Public School Bus Mechanic.
Senator Tom O'Mara said, "Many of us believe that the Albany Democrats' current plan for imposing far-reaching renewable energy mandates on all New Yorkers is not feasible, affordable, or reliable. This is particularly true for local school districts being mandated to transition to all-electric school buses beginning in 2027. The current timeline raises far too many troubling questions on affordability, as well as surrounding reliability and safety for student transportation. We know that the existing plan comes with an enormous price tag for local schools. For already overburdened local property taxpayers, it's emerging as yet another hard hit from yet another unfunded state mandate out of Albany. We are moving too far, too fast on this transition. The technology is simply not there yet. The electric grid can't support it and the necessary charging equipment and buses which are not produced in sufficient quantities will get less expensive as the industry advances from its infancy. Further, urban settings where this may be more feasible, and where congestion and emissions are greater, should be going first. It seems reasonable and fair to reassess and reexamine the current timeline and its potential impact on school districts, students and families, and local communities."
"As the 2027 implementation date of New York's electric bus mandate approaches, school officials in my district and around the state are becoming increasingly concerned about the tremendous financial and operational challenges associated with this one-size-fits-all requirement," said Senator George Borrello, SD57. "This mandated conversion will have a price tag in the billions, with New York State taxpayers simply expected to foot the bill. Like so much of the state's climate agenda, there is no cost-benefit analysis of this mandate or any realistic plan for how to pay for it. Electric buses cost up to three times as much as conventional buses -- it's a difference of $130,000 versus $400,000-$450,000. Additionally, electrical infrastructure and distribution line upgrades can add hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. The conversion cost has been conservatively estimated at between $8 billion and $15.25 billion more than the cost of replacing them with new diesel buses. However, the multi-million dollar estimates utilities are now providing to some school districts just for the electrical upgrades suggests the total costs will be much higher than $15 billion. While many states around the nation are wisely testing the feasibility of electric buses for their regions through pilot programs, New York Democrats rushed to enact a mandate without any firsthand data on whether it would meet the needs of our districts. This is a movie we've seen before in Albany and it never ends well. These proposals are each common-sense alternatives that would determine if an electric school bus mandate is affordable, reliable and, most importantly, feasible. Our school children should not be used as the test subjects for this costly and risky mandate."
"The zero-emission bus mandate for schools is at present unworkable and fiscally catastrophic for rural schools. While the goal is laudable, issues with feasibility of the vehicles, capacity of the power grid and fiscal commitment by the state all currently prevent compliance. The proposed legislation is a common sense approach that will answer the needed questions prior to making promises neither the state nor the industry can keep," said David Little, Executive Director of the Rural Schools Association.
"The goal of having several clean energy options is a good one, but it's got to be done with common sense and in a realistic way that's reasonable and affordable for taxpayers, our local governments, and school districts and not add to the high tax burden faced by New Yorkers. We're offering a reasonable proposal to rescind the electric school bus mandate that will cost school districts in New York State billions of dollars, and replace it with a state-funded pilot program that enables school districts to test and evaluate how these electric buses perform," said Senator Jim Tedisco, Ranking Member on the Senate Education Committee.
"Rural, upstate schools need more funding to focus on educational services, not an expensive mandate that would raise taxes and divert resources away from students," said Senator Dan Stec, Ranking Member on the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. "Green initiatives are laudable, but the electric bus mandate runs counter to the realities our schools face. I've heard repeatedly from school superintendents that it simply isn't feasible. Instead of punishing our schools with an expensive mandate for buses that may prove unreliable, let's take a step back and replace it with a pilot program that would evaluate the efficacy of electric buses statewide."
"My local schools are raising the alarm about this mandate and we should listen to them. It's unrealistic, uninformed and irresponsible. Districts are planning now for how to implement and afford it, with little guidance or funding from the state. We're talking upwards of $400,000 for just one bus, plus more for the needed infrastructure, not to mention whether our electric grid has the necessary capacity. I want to do everything we can to protect our environment, but this mandate is impractical. Let's be smart about this and let's protect our students, schools and property taxpayers," said Senator Pam Helming, 54th Senate District.
"School districts across New York are already struggling under the weight of excessive state mandates, yet Albany Democrats always seem to find new ways to add to their burden. In my rural senate district, where bus routes can take hours to complete, it is unreasonable to force schools to move forward with untested electric buses that may not be up to the demands. Add on top of that the cost, at a time when many districts are struggling to stay afloat, and we are looking at an entirely unworkable proposal. Senator Borrello's legislation calling for a pilot program, rather than another Albany mandate, is the best solution," said Senator Peter Oberacker, 51st Senate District.
